Rock Harbor 7 Day Canoe Trip

[Rafiki]

I have 7 1/2 days to do my first canoe trip ever at Isle Royale. I will arrive at Isle Royale on a Friday afternoon and depart the Saturday morning of the following week. Being that this is my first trip via canoe, I'm pretty excited and anxious to see as much as possible. I know that might not be the best mindset to be in, but I do get enjoyment out of visiting new campsites. So I was hoping to see a wide variety of water accessible sites that are not accessible by foot. Well, I'll leave it at that. Does anyone have any proposed itineraries? Thanks.

By the way, long time no see everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. Sorry I have not been around. I have been busy at work this past year. Things are always so hecktic and what little free time I have gets invested in the gym before I go to bed every night. Wish I had more time to spend around here I still owe a trip report for my fall trip last year. I promise to get around to it soon

[hooky]

Glad to see you posting. Its been kind of dull with out your epic trip reports!

[Tightlines01]

Have you thought of the McCargoe to Chippewa route. I've been debating doing that for some time and would love to do it someday. I hear wood lake is great and you could pop over to Ryan Island.

I'm looking forward to the trip report. I didn't know it at the time but we met and talked briefly during that trip. You were on your way out of West Chicken Bone about an hour out and I was coming from Hatchet to Moskey.

Andy

[Ingo]

Welcome back Rafiki! Since you specifically said R.H. and Fri to Sat, I'm going to assume that you're starting and ending at R.H. and not using the Voyageur II or water taxi. So there's 3 basic routes, all doable in 7 days:

(a) Inland Lake Loop: R.H. -> Moskey -> Richie -> Wood -> Chippewa -> Richie -> Moskey -> R.H. It gets you to, well, the inland lakes All the canoe campgrounds are nice. Get to Ryan Island, allowing for the good will of Siskiwit. If you pushed it a little you could get to Malone Bay.

(b) North Side: R.H. -> Duncan/Lane Cove/Belle Isle -> Pickeral Cove -> McCargo? Go as far as you want, then back. This is my fav area to paddle and it would all be new, except maybe Lane Cove. More open water, esp. if you went into McCargo. Belle Harbor can get rough with the right winds, but overall the area is relatively protected, and there's plenty of campground options.

(c) The Circle Tour: R.H. -> Moskey -> Richie -> McCargo -> Belle Isle -> Duncan -> R.H. Provides you with the opportunity to do the 2 worst portages in the same trip--but we know you like a challenge . Gives a taste of both the inland lakes and paddling on Superior. Only real potential issue is the open stretch from McCargo to Pickeral Cove--we got held up on Birch Island for a day, and should have waited another (but obviously made it nonetheless). The inland lake part wouldn't give a lot new, other than paddling vs hiking.

Personally I like (b) because it's a beautiful area not accessible by trail (beyond Lane Cove) and has a variety of options for paddling and campgrounds. You can take it easy, or push it some. I'd also rather do the Tobin/Duncan portage, .8 miles up and over the Greenstone ridge vs the Moskey/Richie portage, 2+ miles, although relatively flat. But I'm going to predict you'll go for (c) if for no other reason than there's no backtracking . And I should say that I actually LOVE them all! Too many good choices to choose from. Let us know which way you're leaning and we can get into some specifics. And if my assumptions are wrong, Andy's McCargo to Chippewa is also a great trip.

[Rafiki]

But I'm going to predict you'll go for (c) if for no other reason than there's no backtracking

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA You know me well and my feelings about backtracking. At work now, cannot make this long, but you are correct about me arriving and departing from Rock Harbor.

Ill try to get back on here tonight and write a little more. Glad to hear everyone is doing well.

P.S. Andy, of course I remember you. You got some nice snapshots of the mother and her calf at Hatchet Lake

[Ingo]

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA You know me well and my feelings about backtracking. At work now, cannot make this long, but you are correct about me arriving and departing from Rock Harbor.

Since I'm not working today (not much anyways), and I don't have my own trip to plan this year, try this on for size :

Fri: Caribou Island. Arrive Mott Island on Ranger II. Paddle to Caribou Island for the night. If bored, and conditions allow, paddle over to the lighthouse and fishery. Or stop by in the morning.

Sat: Lake Richie Canoe CG. Middle Island Passage, the first stretch of water, can be rough and waves can get confused if there's a good swell coming off the lake. If so, paddle across R.H. towards Daisy Farm and follow the north shore. If it's OK, go straight across, and past the fishery and researchers cabin on the south shore of Moskey Basin. Portage to Richie. You really don't want to do much else but this portage in the same day. Assuming 2 trips, carry canoe (or heaviest load) about 1/2 way, go back for the 2nd (lightest) load and carry across, then go back (1/2 way) for the 1st. This breaks it up long portages with a couple of hikes in the middle w/o a load (which are refreshing). The canoe campground is nice. Watched otters playing off the rocks.

Sun: McCargo Cove. A bit of loading and unloading, since the lakes are small and paddles short. You can stop at W Chickenbone if you're not feeling like a 1 mile portage to McCargo at the end.

Mon: Pickeral Cove or Belle Isle or Lane Cove. Birch Island is your backup if the lake's bad. McCargo can be very calm even when the lake isn't, so be prepared to turn around at the entrance if necessary. Since there's only 1 insignificant portage (I mean you can almost toss the canoe across), you can make some distance on the water, or have a nice relaxing paddle (at the whim of Mother Nature, of course). Brady Cove is a nice little place to explore on the way.

Tues-Weds: Once you're into Pickeral Cove and beyond you've got some protection from the weather. Belle Harbor is most exposed to the N and NE and there's also a short spot at the end of Stockley Bay. Take your pick of Belle Isle, Lane Cove, Duncan Bay and/or Duncan Narrows and explore. Portages are short and easy. Belle Isle is my favorite and has some fantastic sunrises--the CG is quite a bit away from the docks and the shelters rarely fill up. Beautiful little beach cove in front of the campground (don't unload at the dock). There's a few family cabins on other islands to explore (outside). If you're itching for hard ground, hike up to Mt Franklin from Lane Cove. Paddle to the Keyhole, a deep narrow gap that creates Belle Isle. Lots of options.

Thurs: Duncan Bay (or Narrows). I'd be at one of these on Thurs. I like both: I think the narrows is more picturesque, but it's a little more secluded at the end.

Fri: Rock Harbor. The portage to Tobin Harbor is tough, about a 180' climb in <1/4 mile, but my teenage girls did it, so... Consider the top of the ridge as 1/2 way, although it's shorter and much steeper to to Duncan Bay than Tobin Harbor. Same as before: haul 1st load to top, go back for 2nd, eat lunch, repeat for the way down. Hike out to Lookout Louise if you want before going down. Get going in the a.m., get to R.H. and snag a shelter, then explore Tobin Harbor by canoe or hike to Scoville Pt.

Be prepared to cook fish even if you're not fishing. Almost always am offered lake trout from fisherman. Some aluminum foil and a little butter and salt are sufficient for baking in coals. OK, that's enough for now.

[Tightlines01]

Holy crow. Are you trying to convert hikers to paddlers lol. I about signed up for a trip like that on the spot. Sounds like a great trip!

Out of curiosity how would you rate the portages between Chickenbone to Ritchie? From what I recall some of the hiking trails can be pretty steep in that area and the thought of carrying a Yak or Canoe on it is one thing that's stopping me from he route I mentioned.

[Ingo]

]Holy crow. Are you trying to convert hikers to paddlers lol. I about signed up for a trip like that on the spot. Sounds like a great trip!

And I've been doing more backpacking recently .

Out of curiosity how would you rate the portages between Chickenbone to Ritchie? From what I recall some of the hiking trails can be pretty steep in that area and the thought of carrying a Yak or Canoe on it is one thing that's stopping me from he route I mentioned.

It's been awhile, but I don't consider any of them terrible--but Yes there is some up and down--often the initial climb off the lake is the worst. 4 middle aged bros and their Dad did McCargo to Richie in about 6 hrs (none in great shape , it was warm, and we didn't pack light). It was a long day, and we all felt it, but nothing I'd call miserable. The biggest thing is that the lakes are small and paddles are short, so paddling is not as much of a break from the portaging as it sometimes is. The last one will seem longer than it is.

[drobarge]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVS3WNt7yRU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVS3WNt7yRU